Campaigns

Active

The Breakaway campaign is designed to raise awareness about unmanageable workloads and the need for members to take their coffee and meal breaks. When we surveyed members in Administrative Services (aka Component 12) about workload half of the respondents said their position isn't adequately backfilled when they take vacation or leave. Two-thirds of respondents told us their workplace isn't adequately staffed.

Every day in British Columbia, vulnerable children, youth, and families are falling through the cracks of an under-resourced and over-stretched child welfare system. The safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children and families is being compromised because the B.C. government is not committing the resources required to protect them, with desperately tragic consequences.

Community social services support youth and adults with developmental disabilities and Aboriginal communities. They help women facing domestic violence, the homeless, individuals battling addictions. They work to strengthen families through counselling, and help youth in conflict with the law. They provide kids with a great start to life through early childhood education and learning.

Bill C-51, the federal government’s controversial new "secret police" law, is a sweeping piece of legislation that will undermine our civil liberties and enable government agencies to share your sensitive data with no oversight and no accountability. Despite widespread condemnation of the bill, the federal government pushed through the legislation in June. Canadians should not have to choose between security and their rights.

Big changes have come to BC Liquor stores: Sunday and holiday openings, extended hours, and refrigerated products. These changes are long overdue. Public liquor stores should remain central to this ongoing modernization. They have a long tradition of better pricing, better selection, knowledgeable staff and social responsibility. The public distribution and retailing of alcohol also produces important public revenue. BC Liquor stores also provide good jobs all across our province.

The BCGEU takes the issue of workplace bullying very seriously. We're putting mechanisms in place to address the problem, such as educating our members about bullying and negotiating anti-bullying language in our collective agreements.

BC has a childcare crisis - Families can't afford childcare. Paying for childcare in BC is like having a second mortgage. Often, it's not worth going back to work. There is a solution: a community plan to cap childcare fees and improve early childhood education. It's time to invest in our kids.

As Canadians we have rights to be treated fairly and with equality. These rights extend into our workplace. In our workplace we have the right to be treated fairly and without discrimination based on our gender, sex, disability, race, religion, or age.

Despite the laws that protect us such as the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Human Rights Code of British Columbia, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; which our country helped write, we still face racism and discrimination in our workplaces and in our communities.

Click 'Learn More' link for more information, and to access the equity survey.

The B.C. Liberal government pushed through legislation, without consultation, that will change the face of BC parks forever - by making it easier to take land out of provincial parks for industrial uses, including: Pipelines, Industrial Roads, Power Lines and Resource Extraction. Over 30 parks are threatened by industrial development.

We risk losing Canada's public health care system.

Right now, there's a dangerous legal attack before the courts that could turn Canada's Medicare system into a US-style system – without the public having a say. The attack is driven by Dr. Brian Day, owner of a Vancouver for-profit clinic known for unlawfully billing taxpayer and patient money. Dr. Day is on a reckless campaign to replace Canada's Medicare with a US-style system, and he's using the courts to do it. The case is being called the most significant constitutional challenge in Canadian history. And it's going to trial in BC Supreme Court in late 2015.

As a province, we owe it to our seniors to care for them as they age. But we have a long way to go to provide care that is high quality, fully accessible, publicly funded, and meets the needs of seniors in their communities.

The BCGEU is recognized as a leader in fighting for women's rights in the workplace and the community. The BCGEU has a long and proud herstory of representing women member, who presently make up two-thirds of the total BCGEU membership.

Past

Provincial funding to BC's community living sector has failed to keep pace with growing demographic and inflationary pressures and is inadequate to meet the needs of adults with developmental disabilities, families, and caregivers. Budget cuts and service redesigns are destroying the province's community inclusion infrastructure and violating fundamental rights of persons with disabilities to autonomy, independence, choice, and support. The province-wide campaign to expose this crisis has resulted in increased sectoral funding, but many outstanding issues remain.

After more than a decade of service cuts to BC's forestry ministry, and legislative change that leaves the industry to largely regulate itself, BC's resource communities have seen closed mills, pine beetle damage and raw log exports that cost BC jobs. The BCGEU has engaged in a series of forestry dialogues to focus attention on the ongoing crisis in BC forests.

The BC Liberal government has mandated deep cuts to the legal aid system in BC yet again. In January, funding cuts forced LSS to reduce staff in the Lower Mainland by 38 positions and cut back core services and special projects, while demand for services rose dramatically. Those cuts followed the massive 40 percent cut to legal aid by the BC Liberal government in 2002-2005.

BCGEU is proud to represent Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in our health care sector. LPNs join other nurses, health science professionals, care aides, community health workers and support service workers in facilities, community health, and in government service. The BCGEU is BC's third largest health care union. LPNs have a strong voice in our union, serving in positions of leadership in their locals and components.

The Fairness Express has been touring the country since September 2013 in an effort to meet Canadians where they live, to hear how they and their families have been coping in this post-2008 recession economy.

The national tour traveled across B.C. from August 15 until September 21, 2014.

Strengthening public services and ensuring tax fairness is the right thing and smart thing to do. The task has never been more formidable. The need has never been greater. It will take the effort of each of us. ALL TOGETHER NOW!

B.C.’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) inspectors – who inspect commercial vehicles, staff weigh scales and oversee private inspection facilities – has shrunk by more than 26 per cent since coming back into government service from ICBC in 2003. 1-in-4 inspector positions are now vacant.